Golf club carrier



p 1964 o. s. SCHAIRER 3,147,988

' GOLF CLUB CARRIER Filed May 14, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 o. s. SCHAIRER GOLF CLUB CARRIER Sept. 8, 1964 Filed May 14, 1963 5 $heets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Urm SSEHAIRER Sept. 8, 1964 o. s. SCHAIRER GOLF CLUB CARRIER Filed May 14, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 :1'0 SSEHAIRER United States Patent 3,147,988 GULF CLUB CARRIER Otto S. Schairer, 89 Battle Road, Princeton, NJ. Filed May 14, 1963, Ser. No. 280,364 2 Claims. (Cl. 280-4719) My invention relates to carriers for golf clubs. Its purpose is to provide a simple, compact and low cost carrier that does not require the use of a conventional bag for holding the golf clubs and in which the clubs are carried right side up; that is with their heads down and their grip ends up where they can be grasped conveniently.

My invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the carrier with one of the wheels shown only by broken lines. FIGURE 2 is a side view of the carrier with the wheels shown only by broken lines and with a golf club and an umbrella in place in the carrier shown by broken lines. FIGURE 3 is a side view of the bottom portion of the carrier as tilted for wheeling it. FIGURE 4 is a sectional view along the line 44 of FIGURE 1 and a top plan view of the parts below that line. FIGURE 5 is a sectional view along the line 5-5 of FIGURE 1 and a top plan view of the parts below that line. FIG- URE 6 is a front elevation view of the bottom portion of the carrier. FIGURE 7 is a partial sectional and side view along the line 7-7 of FIGURE 5. FIGURE 8 is a partial sectional and side View along the line 8-8 of FIGURE 1, and FIGURE 9 is a side view of one of the stub shafts of the carrier with the Wheel retaining washers and key and parts of one wheel shown in section.

The principal parts of my carrier are a welded wire base 1 that is especially constructed as will be later de scribed to receive the heads of golf clubs, wheels 2 that are mounted at the front corners of the base, a U-shaped handle 3 attached at its lower ends to the middles of the ends of the base, and a shelf 4 that is especially constructed as will be later described to hold the shafts of golf clubs near their grip ends.

The base is preferably about thirteen inches long, nine inches wide and two and one-half inches deep for a set of golf clubs comprising four woods and ten irons. It has a rim comprising three superposed rectangular hoops 5, 6 and 7 of steel wire about three sixteenths of an inch in diameter. The upper and lower hoops 5 and 7 are spaced about one and one-quarter inches from the middle hoop 6 by vertical wires 8 that are welded to the hoops and by other parts to be described hereinafter. Running longitudinally of the base are four wires 9, 10, 11 and 12 having their ends bent upward and welded to the hoops 5 and 6. These longitudinal wires are arranged in pairs with one pair located on each side of the middle of the base to provide supports for the bottoms of the heads of golf clubs as shown in FIGURE 2. Wires9 and 10 are spaced about one and three quarters inches from the longitudinal center line of the base and are about three quarters of an inch higher than the wires '11 and 12. They are supports for the heels of the heads of golf clubs. Wires 11 and 12 are spaced about one inch from the inner sides of the base and are supports for the toes of the heads of golf clubs. When these supporting wires are properly arranged and spaced substantially as just described, the heels and toes of golf clubs will bear about equally upon them and there will be but little tendency for the club heads to move sidewise or to Wobble. The foregoing arrangement of longitudinal wires provides supports for the heads of golf clubs on both sides of the base.

A wire 13 extends longitudinally of the middle of the base at its top and is welded at its ends to the top hoop 5. It prevents golf clubs from moving from one side of the base to the other when the carrier is being hauled. Ad-

3,147,988 Fatented Sept. 8, 1964 jacent to one of its ends the wire 13 is bent to provide a loop 14 for receiving the tip of an umbrella 15 shown by broken lines.

Extending crosswise of the base and welded at their ends to the intermediate hoop 6 are six wires 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 that are arranged to provide places or compartments for the heads of golf clubs and to separate them from each other. The wires 16 and 21 are spaced about three inches from the inner edges of the hoops 5 and 6 to provide four corner compartments for the wooden heads of golf clubs known as woods. These transverse wires are spaced, center to center, about as follows: Wire 17 is one inch from wire 16; wire 18 is one inch from wire 17; wire 19 is one and one eighth inches from wire 18; wire 20 is one and one quarter inches from wire 19; and wire 21 is one and one quarter inches from wire 20. This spacing provides places of graduated widths for the heads of golf clubs, the widths of the spaces being adjusted according to the sizes of the club heads, and it contributes substantially to making the base short and compact.

The heads of a putter and a No. 2 iron will fit in the spaces between wires 16 and 17; the heads of irons Nos. 3 and 4 will fit in the spaces between wires 17 and 18; the heads of irons Nos. 5 and 6 will fit in the spaces between wires 18 and 19; the heads of irons Nos. 7 and 8 will fit in the spaces between wires 19 and 20; and the heads of irons Nos. 9 and 10 will fit in the spaces between wires 20 and 21. The foregoing arrangement and spacing of the supporting and spacing wires provide a compact structure of the base of about the minimum practical size for holding the heads of a full set of golf clubs so that they will not rattle or strike each other and so that they may be readily inserted in and removed from their respective places.

Welded to all three hoops 5, 6 and 7 at the middles of the ends of the base, and extending several'inches above the upper hoop 5, are two plates 22 that are curved to fit and partially surround the lower ends of the handle 3 and constitute handle brackets. These brackets are fastened to the ends of the handle by means of bolts 23.

Welded or otherwise attached to the front side of the base 1.near its corners are two wheel mounts or brackets 24 that may conveniently be made of steel plates the upper ends of which are bent to form tubes 25 for receiving and holding the ends of stub shafts 26 for the wheels 2.

After the base has been assembled as just described, it is dipped in a rubber or .pyroxilyn or other suitable plastic compound in order to provide all of its parts up to and including its upper hoop 5 with a cushioning coating 27 that prevents injury to golf clubs and rattling on their supports and the partitions between them.

The tubes 25 of the wheel brackets 24 have slots 28 milled or sawed in their sides and the stub shafts 26 have grooves 29 turned in them directly opposite the slots 28. Wire springs 38 having looped lower ends riveted to the wheel brackets 24 and their upper ends bent into U-shapes 31 fit in the slots 28 in the tubes 25 and in the grooves 29 in the stub shafts 26 and serve to lock the shafts in the tubes. By pressing the upper U-shaped ends 31 of the springs 30 outward, they are moved out of the grooves 29 in the stub shafts 26 and then the shafts can be withdrawn from the tubes 25 for the purpose of removing the wheels from the carrier.

The stub shafts 26 may conveniently be made of steel rod having not only the grooves 29 turned in them but also other grooves 32 for receiving circular wire keys or retaining rings 33 which hold washers 34 on the shafts which washers in turn hold the wheels on the shafts. See FIGURE 9. One end 35 of each shaft is turned down to a reduced diameter for the reception of a washer 36 which is held in place on the shaft by peening the end of the shaft over it.

By removing the wheels the carrier can be made more compact for transporting in an automobile or on an electrically or engine driven vehicle for hauling golf players and their equipment. When used in the latter manner, it is equally convenient as when it is hauled with its wheels on.

The shelf 4 comprises an upper metal plate 37 having its ends bent downward and bolted to the legs of the U-shaped handle 3 about thirty inches from the bottom of the base 1, a lower metal plate 38 and an intermediate plate 39 of a suitable tough, flexible but resilient material such as machine belting having nylon fibers embedded in it, known as three ply belting. The intermediate plate 39 is clamped between the upper and lower plates 37 and 38 by means of rivets 40. The intermediate plate is wider than the upper and lower plates and its sides extend beyond them about one and one-half inches on each side. The protruding sides are provided with holes 41 about seven eighths of an inch in diameter and with slits 42 that extend from the holes to the edges of the plate. The holes 41 are for the reception of the shafts of golf clubs near their upper grip ends, and the slits enable ready insertion of the club shafts in the holes 41 and removal therefrom. By raising the golf clubs so that the smaller diameters of their shafts are opposite the slits 42, the shafts may be easily moved into or out of the holes 41. However, the flexibility of the material of the intermediate plate 39 permits of pushing or pulling the club shafts through the slits 42 into or out of the holes 41 at almost any point. At the same time the resilience of the material of the intermediate plate 41 is such that the shafts of the clubs are held securely in the holes 41 while the carrier is being hauled. The protruding portions of the intermediate plate 39 are provided with small holes 43 in which golf tees 44 shown by broken lines may be inserted and carried where they are handy for use.

The top surface of the upper plate 37 of the shelf 4 is provided opposite the holes 41 therein with numbers 45 to denote the numbers of the respective golf clubs the shafts of which are to be held in the holes. The even numbers are preferablyplaced on one side and the odd numbers on the other side. The numbers of golf clubs may also be applied to their grip ends to assist in identifying them and to facilitate their selection and replacement in their proper places in the carrier.

Suspended from the middle of the underside of the shelf 4 is a cloth bag 46 having a zipper 47 along one vertical edge. The bag is convenient for carrying golf balls and articles of clothing such as a sweater, wind breaker, raincoat, etc.

A strip 48 of spring metal has its lower end clamped between one end of the upper plate 37 of the shelf 4 and one leg of the handle 3. It extends upward above the shelf and serves as a spring clip to hold a score card 49 shown by broken lines. The upper end of the spring clip is bent to form a tube 50 for the reception of a pencil of an umbrella 15 and then lowered for holding it in place after its lower tip end has been inserted in the loop 14 in the wire 13.

The structure and arrangement of the parts substantially as hereinbefore described provides a golf club carrier that is compact, sturdy and practical and that is easy to haul and convenient to use. The clubs are carried right side up with their heavy heads down in the base so that the center of gravity is low and the carrier tends to be self-stabilizing. The grips of the clubs are up where they may be conveniently selected and grasped for use. The clubs do not engage metal parts of the carrier and do not rattle or require mittens to protect them against scratching or marring. Grass and dirt do not accumulate in the carrier because of the open wire construction of the base.

What I claim as my invention is as follows:

1. In a golf club carrier the combination of a base comprising three superposed rectangular hoops spaced from each other, vertical elements attached thereto and holding them in spaced relation, the said hoops and vertical elements constituting a frame for the base, a pair of spaced wires extending between opposite ends of the base on each side of its middle and attached at their ends to the hoops, the said wires being spaced from the sides and middle of the base and the wires nearer the middle being located higher than those nearer the sides of the base, the said wires thereby forming supports for the heads of golf clubs which supports are inclined downwardly toward the sides of the base, and a group of wires extending between the sides of the base transversely to said supports and attached at their ends to the intermediate hoop and being spaced apart and from the ends of the base to provide compartments for the heads of golf clubs, wheel brackets attached to the front corners of the base, wheels mounted thereon, handle brackets attached to the middles of the ends of the base, a U-shaped handle having its open ends attached to the handle brackets and extending upwardly from the base, and a shelf attached at its ends to the sides of the U-shaped handle above the base and having flexible members on its opposite sides provided with rows of holes and slits extending therefrom to its outer edges for releasably holding the shafts of golf clubs near their grip ends.

2. A golf club carrier described in claim 1 and a bag suspended underneath the shelf between the rows of holes in the flexible members thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 166,953 Clarke June 10, 1952 2,024,484 Smith Dec. 17, 1935 2,169,722 Currie Aug. 15, 1939 7 2,262,298 Proctor Nov. 11, 1941 2,367,234 Mitchell Jan. 16, 1945 2,513,020 Haney June 27, 1950 2,539,336 Sobers -1 Jan. 23, 1951 2,551,009 Kaltenbach May 1, 1951 2,590,154 Burns Mar. 25, 1952 2,754,130 Proctor July 10, 1956 2,863,483 Fargo Dec. 9, 1958 2,910,207 Andrew Oct. 27, 1959 

1. IN A GOLF CLUB CARRIER THE COMBINATION OF A BASE COMPRISING THREE SUPERPOSED RECTANGULAR HOOPS SPACED FROM EACH OTHER, VERTICAL ELEMENTS ATTACHED THERETO AND HOLDING THEM IN SPACED RELATION, THE SAID HOOPS AND VERTICAL ELEMENTS CONSTITUTING A FRAME FOR THE BASE, A PAIR OF SPACED WIRES EXTENDING BETWEEN OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE BASE ON EACH SIDE OF ITS MIDDLE AND ATTACHED AT THEIR ENDS TO THE HOOPS, THE SAID WIRES BEING SPACED FROM THE SIDES AND MIDDLE OF THE BASE AND THE WIRES NEARER THE MIDDLE BEING LOCATED HIGHER THAN THOSE NEARER THE SIDES OF THE BASE, THE SAID WIRES THEREBY FORMING SUPPORTS FOR THE HEADS OF GOLF CLUBS WHICH SUPPORTS ARE INCLINED DOWNWARDLY TOWARD THE SIDES OF THE BASE, AND A GROUP OF WIRES EXTENDING BETWEEN THE SIDES OF THE BASE TRANSVERSELY TO SAID SUPPORTS AND ATTACHED AT THEIR ENDS TO THE INTERMEDIATE HOOP AND BEING SPACED APART AND FROM THE ENDS OF THE BASE TO PROVIDE COMPARTMENTS FOR THE HEADS OF GOLF CLUBS, WHEEL BRACKETS ATTACHED TO THE FRONT CORNERS OF THE BASE, WHEELS MOUNTED THEREON, HANDLE BRACKETS ATTACHED TO THE MIDDLES OF THE ENDS OF THE BASE, A U-SHAPED HANDLE HAVING ITS OPEN ENDS ATTACHED TO THE HANDLE BRACK- 